Pastor Luka Levong of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN) in Kwari, Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, has been killed by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. Five others were also killed in the attack.
Residents who took the bodies to the Specialist Hospital Geidam reported that the attackers came to the community at around 2:00 am on Friday and shot the pastor and the church treasurer, Maina Abdullahi.
The other victims were killed in their own homes before the security forces arrived. Several houses, a church, and vehicles were set on fire.
The military and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have not yet commented on the incident.
Geidam is located 177 kilometres from Damaturu, the state capital, and is about 40 kilometres from the Nigeria/Niger Republic border.
The incident occurred shortly after Boko Haram militants launched an attack on a community in Yobe State, resulting in the death of 12 people and injuring two others.
The attack happened in the Gartamawa community of Chibok Local Government Area, which is located 125 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
“The terrorists stormed the community of Gatamarwa around 5 p.m. on Monday during the New Year celebration heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, came on motorcycles and Hilux vans, and opened fire on mourners returning from Gatamarwa.
“They later attacked another Tsiha community near Shikarkir and killed three people and abducted a young lady, burning houses and looting their foodstuffs,” a source told Channels Television.
Since the hardline group initiated a rebellion in 2009, over 40,000 individuals have lost their lives, and more than two million people have been forced to leave their homes.
The insurgency has also extended into Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, leading to the establishment of a regional military force to combat the militants.
